Today was the day in the off-season that a bunch of minor leaguers earned their free agency, and the Dodgers were no exception, with 25 players in the system earning the right, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America.

A pair of Spring Training 2013 invites here in Palmer and Abreu, but nobody really notable in the sense that there’s a chance for them to rise above organization depth elsewhere. Abreu had a live arm but he missed the whole year and his status is in doubt.

De La Cruz was a ST 2013 invitee, but it’s Sanchez that’s notable here, as for a moment in time everybody was fearing that he’d be the #5 starter. Unfortunately (or fortunately), it just never worked out, as he missed a ton of bats in AAA (10.7 K/9), but had a 5.13 ERA and walked 5.7 guys per nine.

Alfonso was a ST 2013 invitee but didn’t make it due to illness. The real stories here are the free agencies of Tim Wallach‘s son, Matt, and Towles, who was once a highly-regarded prospect for the Astros but could just never put it together.

1B: Sean Burroughs (AAA)

Yes, that one. Burroughs put up a .755 OPS at 22 in the MLB and was basically out of the league by 25.

2B: Rafael Ynoa (AA)

Ynoa might actually be an interesting pickup for somebody and I’d like him back with the Dodgers. He only had a .708 OPS in AA this year at 25, and will likely end up as org depth, but he walks a lot, plays three infield positions, and has solid bat to ball skills. Scouts have said they could see him in a future utility role in the MLB.

3B: Brian Barden (AAA), Pedro Guerrero (AA), Ryan Mount (AA)

Barden was invited to ST 2013 and … that’s about it.

OF: Matt Angle (AAA), Tony Gwynn Jr. (AAA), Jeremy Moore (AAA)

Angle is probably most famous for somehow sticking on the 40-man roster for seemingly forever in 2012, and Moore was a ST 2013 invitee. Gwynn Jr. simply can’t hit, but he can play defense and has utility in the system if they can retain him. He was actually signed to a two-year deal in 2012 but was designated before the end of the season and never made it back to the bigs after being cut in ST 2013.

Pratt has made the most of his 11 plate appearances, reaching base five times with a homer and three walks. He’s hitting .250/.455/.625/1.080 and has yet to strike out.

Corey Seager – SS

Seager is the obvious guy to watch during the winter, and though he has struggled thus far (.146/.239/.220/.459 in 11 games), I’m not concerned in the least about his long-term potential and production. On the positive side of his small sample size in the AFL, half of ManBearSeag’s hits have gone for extra-bases, and he’s shown the willingness to take a walk.

He’s young but advanced for his age, and though he’ll have to move to third unless he suddenly becomes Troy Tulowitzki with the glove, his future is bright as he’s set to begin 2014 in High-A.

The lesser-known of the Garcia relief prospects has posted a 2.35 ERA in just under eight innings of work. He’s continuing to up his stock and his mid-90s fastball could see Los Angeles next year.

Dominican Winter League

Rafael Ynoa – 2B

Ynoa is the only Dodger hitting property in the DWL. Through five games he’s hitting .182/.308/.364/.672 with one extra-base hit. He has a utility upside, but will probably settle as org depth.

Angel Castro – RHP

Castro has fanned ten and allowed just one earned run through 11.1 IP. However, he has walked five in his two starts.

Venezuelan Winter League

Joc Pederson – CF

Joc has absolutely demolished VWL pitching to the tune of a .279/.543/.698/1.241 slash line in 15 games. He has already amassed nine XBHs and a ridiculous 26:15 BB:SO ratio.

Safe to say he’ll be ready for AAA.

Red Patterson – RHP

Coming off of a strong Triple-A campaign in Albuquerque, Red has made four appearances (three starts) in Venezuela and has continued to impress. The 26-year-old has a 1.89 ERA and 16 whiffs in 19 innings. He’s allowing too many hits but has worked around those baserunners thus far.

Mexican Winter League

Luis Cruz – IF

Cruz has hit .308/.419/.385/.804 through seven games, with more walks than strikeouts.

Juan Noriega – RHP

The 23-year-old Mexican native has been very good in his eight innings, allowing just one earned run and walking a pair. However, he’s yet to display the swing-and-miss stuff he had in his 2013 Cal League stint, as he’s fanned just two in those eight frames of work.

If there was an opportunity for the Dodgers to unilaterally impose the designated hitter rule upon the National League, they just might do it. After all, their first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is still bothered by a muscular strain in his neck, but it doesn’t really hinder his performance at the plate.

“We don’t know what gets him. The play where he goes to his right and gets the lead guy, that stung him. Then a swing stung him,” said manager Don Mattingly. “We thought it was a good time to get him out of there. The beat kind of goes on with Adrian. He’s still swinging the bat good.”

“That’s the one thing. It doesn’t really bother me when I hit,” Gonzalez said. “Just throwing, running for fly balls, running with my head up, that hurts, especially going back. But even moving forward with my head up it hurts. With fly balls it’s hard for me to go hard or even go comfortably. I’d say the fly balls are the worst.”

It has become a daily battle for Gonzalez of getting treatment and preparing for a game, only to have that relative calm disrupted during play.

“It’s a strain. Once I get up and start running and throwing during the game, it just seems to get worse and worse and worse.”

Fortunately, he’s in the lineup today.

However, the injury will likely continue to keep A-Gon in and out of the lineup if he tries to play through it. Scott Van Slyke could see significant time going forward, especially if something happens to re-aggravate it.

——

Zack Greinke‘s rehab start went off without a hitch and the righty is scheduled to return from his broken collarbone Wednesday at home against Washington.

Zack Greinke pitched into the fifth inning for the Class-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes on Friday night on a minor league rehab assignment, and could be in line to pitch next for the Dodgers on Wednesday against the Nationals.

“If the doctors say he can pitch, we’re going to let him pitch. We feel like his arm is going to be ready to pitch. He has thrown two 60-pitch bullpens, he’s going to throw 75 pitches tonight,” manager Don Mattingly said before the Dodgers played the Marlins on Friday night. “As long as the doctors say that’s safe for him to pitch with, then he’ll pitch. Knowing Zack, he probably would have pitched tonight.”

I’m giving the Dodgers the benefit of the doubt that they’re not rushing Zack. The club obviously needs him, but not so much so that he should be pitching injured. No amount of need is acceptable enough to put an already injured player at further risk, and even a slight change in mechanics could create problems that this team certainly doesn’t need.

Scott Elbert, the “other” Dodgers pitcher on a rehab assignment with Class A Rancho Cucamonga, pitched a perfect seventh inning Friday night and got the win in his first game appearance since two elbow operations.

The left-handed Elbert will pitch another inning Monday and might follow that with an appearance at Triple-A Albuquerque, but he’s not far away from returning to the Dodgers’ bullpen.

“I’m pretty excited,” said Elbert, who needed only seven pitches to record two strikeouts and a groundout. “It’s a good feeling. It’s been a long time. I feel good. I don’t feel anything.”

Elbert was on a 25-pitch limit, so he went to the bullpen after his inning and threw another 18 pitches to get in his work. The Quakes, who trailed by five runs at one point, took the lead while Elbert was the pitcher of record.

“If I can do what I did tonight, I can help them out [in Los Angeles],” said Elbert. “I almost feel I’m back to my normal self completely.”

Elbert has great swing and miss stuff, and he could certainly help the big league club if healthy. Considering that the bullpen is struggling, there will likely be a spot for him somewhere, which was an iffy proposition before.

Zack Greinkeappears to be ahead of schedule in his recovery from a broken collarbone.

The original diagnosis after the surgery was for Greinke to return to pitching for the Dodgers in eight weeks after the Apr. 13 procedure, which would put him in line for a return around June 8. But given that Greinke is already throwing bullpen sessions, his return could come sooner than that.

Greinke threw all of his pitches and said he had no discomfort. Original recovery estimate was eight weeks, but he’s ahead of that.

While I’m thrilled with this news, and it is a positive to counter all the bad, I would encourage them to take as much time as he needs to get back.

Besides being worried about him rushing it to help a struggling team, I would hope he’s given the time to adequately build his arm strength. Also, that he feels truly normal so that he’s not altering his mechanics. This is due to both injury and performance concerns.

—–

Adrian Gonzalez has been down and out for the past few days with a neck injury, and while there hasn’t been any indication that it’s serious enough to require a DL stint, it certainly doesn’t sound good.

Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez tried to play on Saturday night after sitting out Friday with a pain in his neck, but for the second consecutive night he was scratched from the starting lineup on Saturday against the Giants. Jerry Hairston will play first base in place of Gonzalez, and bat second.

Things figured to be bad for Gonzalez, who after Friday’s game told reporters, “I can’t turn my neck right now,” per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.

Even on Saturday, though he was originally penciled into the lineup, Gonzalez spent the bulk of pregame getting treatment on his neck, and per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com was walking around the clubhouse wearing a soft neck brace. I’m no doctor, but that is almost never a good sign for anyone, let alone a professional athlete.

The weird part? On the play he was hurt, there’s barely any direct contact with his head/neck and the umpire at all.

Ramirez led off the sixth inning with a walk against Barry Zito, then tried to advance to third base on a single to right field by A.J. Ellis. But between second and third base, Ramirez pulled up and slowed down, and appeared to favor his left leg.

Ramirez was helped off the field by team trainers, and replaced in the bottom of the inning by Justin Sellers at shortstop.

Early reports have the injury being compared to Matt Kemp‘s injury from 2012, and we know how that derailed his year.

Chris Capuano pitched into the sixth inning Wednesday night in his minor league rehab start with Triple-A Albuquerque, and remains in line to join the Dodgers when they open a series next week at Dodger Stadium against the Diamondbacks.

Capuano allowed two runs on seven hits in his 5⅓ innings, and struck out four with just one walk against Memphis. He had a bit of a scare in the third inning when he knocked down a comebacker with his bare hand, per Isotopes beat writer Chris Jackson, but Capuano was no worse for wear and remained in the game.

Capuano was removed after 76 pitches, presumably after hitting a prescribed pitch count limit. For what it’s worth, Isotopes play-by-play announcer Josh Suchon described Capuano’s outing as “solid” and said the left-hander “looks ready.”

Capuano and Greinke figure to come back soon, one after the other, so the rotation hopefully won’t be in shambles like it is now.

Ellis said Wednesday that he was feeling better and was able to field, throw, hit and move laterally with no issue. But he was still unable to run at full speed.

The Dodgers need to open a roster spot for Clayton Kershaw to return from the bereavement list and make his scheduled start Friday at San Francisco.

Does Ellis believe he will be healthy enough to play Friday?

“We’ll see; I won’t know until Friday,” Ellis said before Wednesday’s game against the Rockies. “If it progresses every day like it has, I’d be optimistic. But it’s early in the season still, so we’ll see.”

If Ellis is unavailable again Friday, the Dodgers would most likely place the veteran on the disabled list.

Great that he’s not in the “gonna miss a month” territory with this, but they need to make a decision. The bench is terrible as it is, and they can’t just keep them a man down.

Given his age and injury history, I honestly don’t see why they don’t just play it safe.

Fortunately it seems like he’s about ready, as he pinch-hit yesterday.

—–

Jerry Hairston Jr.seems to think he’s okay after pulling up a bit lame while scoring last night.

Jerry Hairston, starting at first base Saturday night in place of the injured Adrian Gonzalez, was removed in the fifth inning in a double-switch, although he confirmed he “felt a little bit of a tweak in the groin” to explain why he was limping while scoring on Matt Kemp’s two-run single.

“I felt fine and could have stayed in the game. It was very minor,” Hairston said. “It was just a natural double-switch but I could have played. It’s really a non-issue. I hit the bag funny rounding third and I just wanted to make sure I didn’t overextend.”

Mattingly said he was told that Hairston was OK, “but I’m not sure what that means. We’ll see tomorrow.”

Again, this doesn’t seem major, but if this many guys are unavailable or borderline unavailable, it eats into an already weak and decimated bench.

The Dodgers have sent a lot of guys to play in winter ball following the conclusion of the Arizona Fall League. They are well represented in the Caribbean Winter Leagues and it’s nice to see some guys getting consistent playing time.

Dodger prospects could be surprisingly active come Thursday’s Rule 5 Draft, as there are two prospects drawing significant interest and two who might be plucked.

—–

Ben Badler of Baseball America has tweeted on more than one occasion in the last week that Jose Dominguez is seen as a potential Rule 5 draftee. Additionally, John Manuel wrote about him on Tuesday at Baseball America (subscription required).

Dominguez, 22, is facing a 25-game suspension after being busted last month for violating MLB‘s drug policy. He touched triple-digits in the minors this season and regularly sits in the high-90s.

Odds are the Dodgers left a flame-throwing reliever like this unprotected because of the drug suspension and the fact he threw just seven innings in Double-A this season after throwing 72 at Low-A Great Lakes.

Ynoa, 25, had a solid, yet unspectacular season at Double-A Chattanooga, posting a .278/.364/.352 triple-slash after drawing a career-high 58 walks. He profiles as a utility player, but his strength lies in the middle infield. Ynoa split time evenly between second base and shortstop this season. He also had a good Arizona Fall League, leading the Mesa Solar Sox in batting.

I wouldn’t be at all surprised if a team drafted Ynoa on Thursday. Despite having a limited ceiling, there is at least some value in his game.

I hadn’t given Martin, 23, much thought — and I still don’t. He was acquired last winter along with Tyler Henson from Baltimore for Dana Eveland. He threw just 3 2/3 innings at High-A Rancho Cucamonga — his highest level of the minors.

Martin, who Mayo ranked 11th, has a good fastball that sits in the low-90s as a starter and can touch 95 MPH. He also has a slider. However, control issues have hindered him, as his 5.8 walks per nine innings would indicate.

Chance Of Selection: 10%

—–

Finally, Smith (one of my boys), is more appealing than I may have first thought. Mayo ranked him as the 18th-best prospect available.

Smith, 24, had a decent season with the Lookouts, hitting 13 home runs and posting a 12.1 percent walk rate — a career-high. Smith has good power potential, plays a good right field, and has a cannon for a right arm. All those skills are enticing. Last season was his first in Double-A, so I’m not sure just how attractive he is to other teams.

Chance Of Selection: 20%

—–

As for the Dodgers, I don’t really see them taking anyone. After all, part of the reason some of these guys are available to begin with is their 40-man roster crunch. On the other side though, odds are good that they end up losing a guy or two on this list to the draft.

The Dodgers will offer Zack Greinke the most money to sign, according to Jon Heyman, because they have no concept of a budget.

The Dodgers have an interesting strategy that’s been employed only rarely: Sign the best, no matter the cost.

“They are like theSteinrenner Yankees of the ’70s,” one competing GM said.

Rival executives are beginning to wonder of there’s any chance to compete with the Dodgers in the Zack Greinke sweepstakes. Greinke is said by friends to be an unusual free agent who values comfort and winning right up there with money, so some teams will hang in there with a bit of hope.

But it seems pretty clear who is going to offer Greinke the biggest deal at this point. The Dodgers seem determined to sign him, no matter the cost. As Dodgers president Stan Kasten said, “We are the opposite of the mystery team.”

Asked about their budget, one Dodgers person responded on Monday, “What budget?”

Some wonder whether it might be wise to sign up Clayton Kershaw first, thus in effect capping Greinke’s final price. But one rival exec said, he believes the Dodgers “just don’t care” how much things cost.

Greinke is a unique free agent in the sense that it’s believable that he could make his decision based on comfort over sheer money. Though if the combination of staying in Los Angeles and an offer with the most money comes across the table, I find it hard to believe he’ll turn that down.

This goes counter to what Joel Sherman reports though, as he says the Rangers have every intention of spending right along side the Dodgers on Greinke.

In response to this, Scott Borastrolled back, saying Ryu could end up in Japan.

South Korean left-hander Ryu Hyun-jin could pitch in Japan next season if he doesn’t sign with the Dodgers, his agent said Tuesday.

“Japan is a very viable option for him,” said Scott Boras, who disputed the notion that his client doesn’t have any leverage in his negotiations with the Dodgers.

Never a dull moment with Boras, man.

The deadline is 5 PM on Sunday, so there’s still quite a bit of time, and we knew from before that the Dodgers probably preferred to wait until after the Winter Meetings were over to finalize a deal with him. That makes sense, especially in light of news that they’re involved on a whole mess of players at the moment.

At the end of the day though, I have a difficult time believing that a deal with Ryu won’t get done, especially given the team’s alleged lack of financial restrictions.

—–

The Dodgers are talking with a whole bunch of teams in regards to trades, according to Colletti.

Ken Gurnicksays this includes the Mets and R.A. Dickey (along with at least seven other teams), while Molly Knightadds that the Rays and James Shields are involved. Jon Heyman adds that the Rays are increasingly likely to deal a starter and that the suitors include the Dodgers, Rangers, and Nationals.

I’m not sure how legit that Dickey interest is, but I have been hearing about the Dodgers being in on Shields a lot, so it seems that would be their primary target. Wouldn’t be surprised at all to see that rumor escalate today.

—–

As for the fourth outfielder issue, Ken Gurnick has mentioned that Nate Schierholtzis a target.

One non-tendered player the Dodgers have some interest in is outfielder Nate Schierholtz, cut loose last week by the Phillies, who acquired him from the Giants in the Hunter Pence trade.

Schierholtz doesn’t play center, is left-handed, and had a .698 OPS last year.

I know he has hit righties well over the last two years, but if you look at the larger sample size of his career, there’s like a 30 point OPS difference in his platoon split, which hardly makes him a platoon weapon.

I would hope they can do better.

—–

Rafael Ynoa is generating interest in regards to the Rule 5 Draft, which doesn’t surprise me.

I would give him a ceiling of a utility player, but I think there’s a chance he could stick all year, so why wouldn’t a team with 40-man roster space give him a shot now? Coming off his red-hot AFL, there’s probably no better time.

The Arizona Fall League wrapped up this week with the Mesa Solar Sox — the team with eight Dodger prospects — finishing in last place with a 10-20 record. Now, it wasn’t all the Dodger prospects fault, but there were some, shall we say, not-so-great performances from some of the fellas.

I’m going to keep my eye on the Puerto Rican Winter League now, as Yasiel Puig made his debut there on Saturday night. It’ll be nice to see him get some playing time after being forced to miss the AFL with a staph infection.

—–

Arizona Fall League

Gorman Erickson – C
14 G, .268/.400/.341/.741, 3 2B, 9 BB

Erickson played better in two weeks worth of games in the AFL than he did at Chattanooga this season. But despite playing better, his power was still absent. While the big switch-hitting catcher looks like a power hitter, he’s anything but. His on-base percentage trumped his slugging percentage, which better suits a leadoff hitter. Still, a .400 OBP is nice.

Joc Pederson – OF
15 G, .096/.161/.154/.315, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 3 SB

Atrocious. There is no better word to describe Pederson’s AFL experience. While 15 games is hardly anything to be concerned about, an .096 average will get negative attention. Despite the poor performance, Pederson is still a top five prospect in the organization.

Rafael Ynoa – 2B/SS
27 G, .330/.374/.515/.889, 10 XBH, 7 SB

Ynoa was the Dodgers’ offensive standout in Mesa this season. He led the club in batting average, RBI (20), hits (32) and triples (four). He was second in stolen bases and slugging percentage (to George Springer, .600). Ynoa is eligible for the Rule 5 Draft, and after a strong AFL campaign, a team could take a chance on him. Then again, he is 25 and has utility player upside (at best). With the 40-man roster pretty full, I’d expect him to be unprotected.

Eric Eadington – LHP
12.1 IP, 5.11 ERA, 1.86 WHIP, 10.9 K/9

Eadington finished his AFL season on a strong note. Despite a high ERA and WHIP, his K/9 was impressive. His 15 strikeouts were tied for third-best on the club, and as a lefty who can touch 95 MPH on the gun, he potentially has a future in a big league pen.

Onelki Garcia – LHP
4 IP, 2.25 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 4.5 K/9

Garcia finally made his AFL debut. He threw just four innings and has a total of four professional appearances under his belt. Still, I like his potential as a starter. He needs to establish a third pitch to remain a starter going forward though.

Red Patterson – RHP
11.2 IP. 5.40 ERA, 1.97 WHIP, 3.1 K/9

Patterson, who had a 9.1 K/9 with the Lookouts this season, managed just a 3.1 strikeout rate in the AFL. That might have been the most disappointing part of his season. The 25-year-old is a favorite of mine, but he doesn’t profile as much more than a middle reliever.

Chris Reed – LHP
10 IP, 7.20 ERA, 2.40 WHIP, 8.4 K/9

Reed pitched exclusively as a reliever in the AFL and he didn’t pitch that well. He was a late addition to replace Paco Rodriguez, so that has to be taken into consideration. I’ve never been as high on him as most, so maybe I shouldn’t be surprised by his performance.

Andres Santiago – RHP
19.2 IP, 6.86 ERA, 1.83 WHIP, 8.2 K/9

Santiago relieved Garcia in his final two outings, but made four starts for Mesa. He was up and down, but I like his potential. A full season at Double-A in 2013 will show whether he has a future as a starter or reliever.

—–

Dominican Winter League

Brian Cavazos-Galvez is 3-for-17 (.176). Looks like his Southern League numbers.

Tim Federowicz is 6-for-36 (.189) with a 1/17 BB/K rate. Ouch, again.

Dee Gordon is 28-for-88 (.318) with six triples in his 23 DWL games. He’s improved his walk rate since the last update (seven in 88 ABs).

Chris Jackson of the Albuquerque Examiner tweeted to me and said that Dodgers left-hander Onelki Garcia hasn’t appeared yet in the Arizona Fall League because of an oblique injury, but he was unable to confirm it. If true, I wouldn’t expect to see Garcia play at all in the AFL, though he could still pitch in another winter league.

—–

Arizona Fall League

Gorman Erickson – C
11 G, .276/.432/.345/.777, 2 2B, 8 BB

Erickson is having a decent AFL campaign in his second year in the league. The power he displayed in his 2011 campaign (.204 ISO) is all but gone, as hi ISO at Chattanooga was .095 and it’s just .069 in the AFL.

Joc Pederson – OF
9 G, .094/.171/.094/.265, 3 RBI, 2 SB

Pederson had been out of action since Oct. 23, but he returned to the Solar Sox‘s lineup yesterday and promptly went 0-for-3. His AFL season has been atrocious, but he still got an invite to the Rising Stars game, which was held on Saturday.

Someone mentioned that Pederson could be fatigued and I buy it. He played 110 games this season, then played in the World Baseball Classic qualifying tournament with Israel before heading to Arizona. I don’t think the jump in competition had this much negative impact on Pederson.

Rafael Ynoa – 2B
18 G, .338/.365/.529/.893, 7 XBH, 7 SB

Ynoa has been a stud for Mesa so far. He leads the club in hitting and is tied with Cubs prospect Matt Szczur in stolen bases. He’s also popped two home runs in the league — two more than he did in 421 Southern League at-bats. Ah, the rarefied air of Arizona.

Eric Eadington – LHP
8.2 IP, 7.27 ERA, 2.19 WHIP, 11.4 K/9

Eadington was doing fairly well a couple weeks ago, but he ran into some trouble, as his high ERA and WHIP show. The positive: he’s striking guys out at an elite rate.

Red Patterson – RHP
8.0 IP. 7.88 ERA, 2.25 WHIP, 3.4 K/9

Patterson started off the AFL great but has been awful in his last five innings. The positive: not much. But it’s just fall ball, so I wouldn’t be overly concerned about him at this point.

Chris Reed – LHP
6.1 IP, 9.95 ERA, 2.68 WHIP, 8.5 K/9

Reed’s ERA is finally in the triple-digits, so that’s progress, I suppose. He’s also improved his strikeout rate. Not too hard to improve on zero, though.

Andres Santiago – RHP
15.0 IP, 3.60 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 8.4 K/9

Finally, a good pitcher! Santiago has held his own in the AFL and, despite the higher-than-desired WHIP, he hasn’t allowed a home run in his 15 innings. I’m eager to see what he does in 2013.

—–

Dominican Winter League

Brian Cavazos-Galvez is 3-for-17 (.176). Looks like his Southern League numbers.

Tim Federowicz is 2-for-20 (.100) with 11 strikeouts. Ouch.

Dee Gordon is 14-for-43 (.326) with three triples in his first 10 DWL games. He’s only drawn two walks in 43 at-bats, though.

Luis Vazquez has walked four batters in three innings.

—–

Venezuelan Winter League

Alex Castellanos is 9-for-31 (.290) with two home runs and eight RBI.

Luis Nunez is 18-for-72 (.250) with four doubles and nine runs scored.

C.J. Retherford is 22-for-73 (.301) with three home runs and five doubles.

The Dodgers sent eight players to the Arizona Fall League this season to play for the Mesa Solar Sox. Only Onelki Garcia has yet to appear in a game. I’m hoping he gets in soon because he only threw in two minor-league games this season. We all know about Yasiel Puig suffering the staph infection, which caused him to miss the league.

Position Players

Gorman Erickson – C
3-for-10 (.300), 1 run, 3 strikeouts

Erickson, who struggled last year in the AFL (.213/.279/.361), is sharing catching duties with two other prospects, hence the limited number of at-bats. He’s coming off a disappointing 2012 campaign, so a chance to re-establish himself in the league is needed.

Joc Pederson – OF
0-for-15, 1 run, 2 BB, 3 K

Pederson, one of the youngest players in the league, has struggled (obviously). Whether it’s fatigue or him just being overmatched, Pederson just hasn’t been able to get on track thus far. He’ll face similar talent in the Southern League in 2013, so it’d be nice to see him get it going.

Rafael Ynoa – 2B
7-for-17 (.412), HR, 2B, 2 BB, 2 SB

Ynoa has been an offensive star among the Dodger talent in Arizona, leading the Solar Sox in batting through the first seven games. He also clubbed a home run, something he didn’t do in 421 Southern League at-bats in 2012.

Pitchers

Eric Eadington – LHP
3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

Eadington gave up two runs in his first outing — both on solo home runs — but has been lights out since. This is a good test for the 24-year-old, who should begin 2013 with the Chattanooga Lookouts.

Red Patterson – RHP
3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K

Patterson has been nearly perfect in his first few AFL outings. He could see some time in Albuquerque next year with a potential call-up to the majors waiting in the wings.

Chris Reed – LHP
2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Reed, who picked up a victory in his second AFL outing, was absolutely rocked in his third appearance to the tune of five hits and five runs without recording an out. What’s disturbing is it took just 17 pitches (10 strikes) to accumulate the damage. Reed replaced Paco Rodriguez on the roster.

Andres Santiago – RHP
3 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Santiago didn’t receive any help from his defense in his lone AFL start, hence the three unearned runs. He recovered nicely to strike out three batters in his next two innings though. This is a good test for the 22-year-old, who made a name for himself this season.

Yasiel Puig, Joc Pederson, Gorman Erickson, Steven Rodriguez, Red Patterson, Rafael Ynoa, and Eric Eadington have been named to the roster of the Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League, according to the Dodgers official site.

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Yasiel Puig, the much hyped outfielder signed out of Cuba, has a .372/.462/.667/1.128 combined line from Rookie and High A ball. Given that he’s already being paid like an MLB starting outfielder, scouts will want to see him tested against the advanced pitching of the AFL, and he’ll likely be closely scrutinized by everybody.

Outfielder Joc Pederson is having a breakout year at High A. He was my top positional prospect in rankings before the season, but I didn’t expect the power to come this soon. It’s the California League, yes, but a .315/.396/.517/.913 line as a 20-year-old is still impressive.

Gorman Erickson, a catcher, is having a rough go of it at AA this year. I liked his patience/power potential at a premium position, but while the patience has maintained, his power has disappeared. He has a .236/.349/.333/.683 line on the year and will look to right himself in the AFL.

Steven Rodriguez, the 2012 second-round pick, is already making a hell of a splash. Between A and AA levels, he has a 0.95 ERA in 19 innings with 31 strikeouts and 6 walks as a 21-year-old lefty reliever. He could help the Dodgers and soon.

Pitcher Red Patterson has been a pleasant surprise out of the bullpen for a 2010 late-round pick, and he’s putting up a 3.03 ERA in 68.1 innings with 68 strikeouts and 30 walks at AA. Yet another bullpen arm with the potential to help sooner than later, especially since he’s already 25.

I’ve been following Rafael Ynoa’s progress ever since his time in the Dominican Summer League, and while I’ve always loved his on-base skills, I never thought he would be able to get it done against advanced pitching. Yet he has produced a .280/.364/.351/.715 line at AA. Still probably not an MLB caliber player, but maybe organizational depth or a utility role.

Eric Eadington went undrafted in 2011 and he’s going to the AFL in 2012, which says a lot about the work he’s done so far. Yes, he’s already in his age 24 season, but he’s already passed so many other prospects, especially with his performance outside of Rookie-ball. Between A, A+, and AA this year, he has posted a 3.44 ERA in 65.1 innings with 75 strikeouts and 19 walks. After struggling a bit at AA, he’ll look to prove he’s somebody to watch for the Dodgers bullpen.

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The primary draws for Dodgers fans will obviously be Puig and Pederson, but I’m very interested to see Rodriguez against AFL competition and whether Erickson can right himself.

Man, I’m never going two weeks between these posts again. Anyway, most of the Dodger minor-league affiliates were mediocre the last two weeks. The Ogden Raptors scored the most runs this week with 83, thanks to Jeremy Rathjen, Corey Seager and Eric Smith. They also gave up the most runs this week at 94.

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Albuquerque Isotopes (7-8)

Runs Scored: 81
Runs Allowed: 69

Players Of The Week

July 23: Jerry Sands – OF/1B
July 30: Jerry Sands – OF/1B

Sands has been one of the hottest hitters in the minor leagues for the past couple weeks. For the week of July 23, he went 12-for-34 (.353) with three home runs, 11 RBI, a double, and five runs scored. He earned the Pacific Coast League Player Of The Week, as Sands hit two grand slams in the second game of the July 29 doubleheader. For the week of July 30, he went 11-for-25 (.440) with three home runs, 10 RBI, and three runs scored. His hot hitting earned him a call-up to Los Angeles.

Pitchers Of The Week

July 23: John Ely – RHP
July 30: Josh Wall – RHP

Ely had a couple solid outings for the Isotopes: 13 1/3 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 11 K. He has a 3.42 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and a 9.2 K/9 on the season. Wall made three appearances last week and saved two games for the Isotopes: 2 2/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.

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Chattanooga Lookouts (7-6)

Runs Scored: 65
Runs Allowed: 54

Players Of The Week

July 23: Rafael Ynoa – 2B
July 30: J.T. Wise – 1B

Ynoa won his fourth award of the season, but his numbers were less than impressive: 5-for-20 (.250) with two doubles, two RBI, and seven walks. The Lookouts were one-hit twice and no-hit once in the week of July 23, so that accounts for the poor offensive week. Wise had a much better week: 10-for-23 (.435) with a home run, 10 RBI, three doubles, six runs scored, and seven walks.

Pitchers Of The Week

July 23: Zach Lee – RHP
July 30: Matt Magill – RHP

Lee had a nice outing on July 27 to earn just his second award of the season: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K. He hasn’t fared well in Double-A thus far, but he is just 20 years old. Next season will be the true test of his prospect status. Magill had one of his best outings of the season despite giving up three runs: 7 1/3 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 12 K. This is Magill’s fourth honor of the year.

Landry had a fantastic week before being traded to Seattle with Logan Bawcom for Brandon League: 14-for-30 (.467) with two home runs, five (!) triples, a double, six RBI, and nine runs scored. That performance earned him California League Player Of The Week honors. He finishes his Quake career with a .328/.358/.559 triple slash with eight home runs, 51 RBI, 26 doubles, 15 triples, 63 runs scored, and 20 stolen bases. The next week, Coyle and Pederson carried the Quakes offense. Coyle went 10-for-25 (.400), with a home run, double, triple, and four RBI. Pederson didn’t get many hits, but he walked a bunch: 5-for-20 (.250) with a home run, double, triple, five RBI, eight runs scored, nine walks, and three stolen bases.

Pitchers Of The Week

July 23: Rubby De La Rosa – RHP
July 30: Andres Santiago – RHP

Well, well, well, Mr. De La Rosa, so nice to see you. De La Rosa made his season debut with the Quakes and showed no ill effects from his Tommy John surgery: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K. He also had a fine performance in his second appearance, but it was cut short because of discomfort in his groin (thankfully it wasn’t his elbow). Santiago had a great outing for the Quakes — and it’d be his last at the level because he was promoted to Double-A Chattanooga: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 10 K. Santiago has taken the award four of the last five weeks and has won it five times overall this season.

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Great Lakes Loons (3-10)

Runs Scored: 58
Runs Allowed: 78

Players Of The Week

July 23: Pratt Maynard – C
July 30: O’Koyea Dickson – 1B/DH

Maynard, who started the season in a terrible slump, has picked it up of late. For the week of July 23, he went 6-for-20 (.300) with three doubles, two RBI, and three walks. Dickson has been mired in a slump for most of the second half, but he had a nice week: 8-for-26 (.308) with three home runs, five RBI, and three runs scored.

Pitchers Of The Week

July 23: Duke Von Schamann – RHP
July 30: Greg Wilborn – LHP

The Dodgers might have found themselves a gem in Von Schamann, who earns his third award of the season — all since being promoted to Great Lakes. He had his best outing of the season so far during the week of July 23: 8 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. He doesn’t strike guys out, but he gets them out. He’ll have to miss more bats as he moves up the ladder, but it’s hard to argue with what he’s doing at the moment. Wilborn had a nice week for the Loons in the following period: 11 2/3 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 12 K. Wilborn has been all around the minors this season, and he’s not a prospect at this point.

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Ogden Raptors (7-6)

Runs Scored: 83
Runs Allowed: 94

Players Of The Week

July 23: Jeremy Rathjen – OF
July 30: Corey Seager – SS

Rathjen, who fell in the draft because of injury concerns, continues to mash for the Raptors. For the week of July 23, he went 10-for-21 (.476) with three RBI, seven runs scored, and eight walks. Seager hit his first professional home runs last week, as he went 8-for-24 (.333) with three home runs, nine RBI, five runs scored, and seven walks. Jesus Valdez (.346, four home runs) and Eric Smith (.455, 10 walks) were the runners-up.

Pitchers Of The Week

July 23: Ross Stripling – RHP
July 30: Owen Jones – RHP

Stripling is having no problems with the Pioneer League, but the Dodgers are limiting his innings. He had a short but effective outing: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K. Jones, the Dodgers 19th-round draft pick in 2012, had a solid week coming out of the bullpen for the Raptors: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K.

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Arizona League Dodgers (3-6)

Runs Scored: 47
Runs Allowed: 54

Players Of The Week

July 23: Cory Embree – OF
July 30: Yasiel Puig – OF

Embree had a modest week for the AZL Dodgers: 5-for-12 (.417) with a double, four RBI, and three walks. Puig, making his professional debut, went 5-for-16 (.313) with two home runs, five RBI, two triples, and four runs scored.

Pitchers Of The Week

July 23: Jonathan Martinez – RHP
July 30: Zachary Bird – RHP

Martinez had a fantastic outing on July 24: 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 K. The 18-year-old is having a lot of success in the Arizona League and is someone to keep an eye on going forward. Bird, the Dodgers ninth-round pick this year, had the best outing of his young career: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K.

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Dominican Summer League Dodgers (3-7)

Runs Scored: 48
Runs Allowed: 61

Players Of The Week

July 23: Jeffry Rojas – SS
July 30: Melvin Santana – 2B

Rojas only played three games, but he made them count by going 6-for-10 (.600) with a double and an RBI. Santana, making his fourth appearance on this list, went 6-for-17 (.353) with a home run, a double, four RBI, three runs scored, and two stolen bases.

Pitchers Of The Week

July 23: Jose Agusto Diaz – RHP
July 30: Wascar Teodo – RHP

Diaz, 21, earned his first award of the season by throwing six quality innings on July 27: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. Teodo did just a little better than Diaz this past week: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K. The 18-year-old is throwing well for the DSL Dodgers.

The Albuquerque Isotopes and Chattanooga Lookouts had the best week in the Dodgers minor league system, both winning five games this week. The ‘Topes scored the most runs this week with 54, while the Great Lakes Loons gave up the fewest with 24.

The Arizona League Dodgers, a team that had been rolling, had one game in which it gave up 20 runs. The lowlight of the week for sure.

With the trade deadline fast approaching, some of these guys could be making their last appearances on this list.

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Albuquerque Isotopes (5-2)

Runs Scored: 54
Runs Allowed: 40

Player Of The Week

Josh Fields – 3B

Fields has been one of the Pacific Coast League‘s hottest hitters, and that continued this week: 10-for-23 (.435) with two home runs, four doubles, nine RBI, nine runs scored, and four walks. Fields is up to .345/.411/.525 on the season, and if the Dodgers don’t find an upgrade at third base he might actually get a shot at the hot corner. This was his third award in four weeks and his fourth overall.

Pitcher Of The Week

Stephen Fife – RHP

Fife had the best week of any Isotopes pitcher despite making his MLB debut this week (6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 1 K). He had an even better outing for Albuquerque after he was optioned: 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 12 K. It was his best outing of the season and there might be some hope for him as a swingman in the majors. This is Fife’s third award of the season.

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Chattanooga Lookouts (5-1)

Runs Scored: 37
Runs Allowed: 28

Player Of The Week

Rafael Ynoa – 2B

Believe it or not, this is Ynoa’s third award of the season. He went 11-for-23 (.478) with a double, four RBI, two walks, and a stolen base. He’s raised his season triple slash to .305/.375/.366. He has decent on-base skills but zero power.

Pitcher Of The Week

Allen Webster – RHP

The man who could be traded for Ryan Dempster, Webster had himself quite an outing on Friday: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 10 K. He’s showing why he’s one of the Dodgers top prospects after a terribly slow start to the season. He’s getting better and stronger as the season goes on and he should only be traded for an impact player — definitely not a rental like Dempster.

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Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (2-5)

Runs Scored: 17
Runs Allowed: 34

Player Of The Week

Scott Wingo – 2B

Wingo had himself quite a week for the Quakes: 10-for-24 (.417) with three doubles and four runs scored. He has a good eye, drawing 41 walks in 84 games, and plays a decent second base. This is his third honor this season. He needs to finish the season strong to get on the prospect radar.

Pitcher Of The Week

Andres Santiago – RHP

Santiago is on fire, capturing his third straight award and fourth on the season by having another good outing: 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. His ERA is high (4.48), but his peripherals continue to improve (1.19 WHIP, 7.7 H/9, 10.3 K/9, 3.46 K/BB, 3.05 FIP). He’s the Quakes best pitcher right now.

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Great Lakes Loons (4-2)

Runs Scored: 29
Runs Allowed: 24

Player Of The Week

O’Koyea Dickson – 1B/DH

Dickson has been noticeably absent from this list for more than a month because of a horrifically bad slump to start the second half. However, it seems he might be back on track after going 8-for-25 (.320) with a home run, two doubles, seven RBI, and three runs scored. He still owns a respectable .842 OPS in the Midwest League. I’d still like to see him promoted to Rancho Cucamonga.

Pitcher Of The Week

Gustavo Gomez – RHP

Gomez makes his first appearance on this list, which is a little surprising. He had a solid outing on Saturday: 5 2/3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 9 K. The 21-year-old has struggled a lot with the Loons, posting a 5.92 ERA and a .291 BAA. It’d be nice to see him finish the season on a strong note.

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Ogden Raptors (2-4)

Runs Scored: 28
Runs Allowed: 37

Player Of The Week

Pat Stover – OF

The Dodgers 40th-round pick this year, Stover could end up being a steal. Oh, and he had a solid week for the Raptors: 6-for-17 (.353) with a home run, three RBI, two runs, and two walks. He owns a .375/.452/.438 triple slash in his first 21 professional games.

Pitcher Of The Week

Matt Laney – LHP

Laney, who began the season with Great Lakes, had the best week of any Raptor pitcher: 6 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. He’s actually pitched worse since going to Ogden.

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Arizona League Dodgers (1-4)

Runs Scored: 17
Runs Allowed: 39

Player Of The Week

Jesmuel Valentin – SS

The Dodgers 2012 second-round pick makes his first appearance on this list by going 4-for-13 (.308) with a home run, three RBI, four runs scored, and three walks. Valentin got off to a slow start but is up to a decent .253/.366/.400 triple slash in his debut season. He’s scored 19 runs and has 19 hits.

Pitcher Of The Week

Lindsey Caughel – RHP

The Dodgers 2012 23rd-round pick had the best week of the bunch, which isn’t saying much: 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. He had a decent game, but no one else had a week worth noting for the team.

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Dominican Summer League Dodgers (3-3)

Runs Scored: 32
Runs Allowed: 28

Player Of The Week

Melvin Santana – 2B

Santana has taken over as the team’s best player by earning his third consecutive POTW award. Santana went 6-for-16 (.375) with a double, four runs scored, and three stolen bases. He owns a .313/.387/.507 line with 38 runs scored.

Pitcher Of The Week

Wander Beras – LHP

Beras, like Santana, earns his third consecutive POTW award for the DSL Dodgers by having another fantastic outing: 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 10 K. He’s struck out 73 hitters in 56 1/3 innings, but he’s 23 years old at the lowest level of the minors.

All of the Dodgers minor league affiliates were in action this week, even if Chattanooga, Rancho Cucamonga, and Great Lakes played a short week because of its respective All-Star games.

Get used to hearing this: Ogden scored the most runs this week at 66, as the Raptors averaged 11 runs per game. They also gave up the most runs at 46.

The Arizona League began and the Dodger squad, filled with a plethora of 2012 draft picks (Zachary Bird, Justin Chigbogu, Joey Curletta, Jesmuel Valentin), went 4-0 in its first week.

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Notes: Zach Lee was promoted to Double-A Chattanooga from High-A Rancho Cucamonga on Monday. Ryan O’Sullivan was promoted from Low-A Great Lakes to Rancho.

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Albuquerque Isotopes (4-2)

Runs Scored: 38
Runs Allowed: 32

Player Of The Week

Brian Cavazos Galvez – OF

Cavazos-Galvez isn’t getting four at-bats every game, but he’s making the most of his trips to the plate. He went 9-for-19 (.474) this week with a home run, two RBI, a double, and seven runs scored. Cavazos-Galvez is hitting exceptionally well for the Isotopes. If he could handle center field, he’d probably be playing every day. This is his third award of the season.

Pitcher Of The Week

Josh Wall – RHP

Wall earns his first POTW honor by saving three of the Isotopes’ four victories this week: 3 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K, 3 SV. Wall hit a bit of a rough stretch about a month ago, but has been solid in his last 10 games (1.80 ERA, 10.8 K/9) and could be the next player recalled if the Dodgers need yet another bullpen option.

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Chattanooga Lookouts (1-3)

Runs Scored: 16
Runs Allowed: 20

Player Of The Week

Rafael Ynoa – 2B

Ynoa wins his second award by going 7-for-11 (.636) with two doubles, four RBI, two runs, two stolen bases, and four walks. It was a great four games for him, but it wasn’t so great for the rest of the team. On the season, Ynoa has the following line: .260/.345/.329 with 13 stolen bases.

I certainly thought we’d see Garcia on this list earlier than this, but he’s here now after going 9-for-19 (.474) with two home runs, seven RBI, a double, and four runs scored. His line on the season isn’t horrible (.266/.283/.447) considering he’s 20 years old and is playing against competition roughly a couple years older than him. However, while the pop is there, the walk rate is not. He’s drawn five walks against 63 strikeouts, and that isn’t going to cut it.

Pitcher Of The Week

Brandon Martinez – RHP

It’s hard to find a guy who threw well when the team gave up 43 runs in four games, but Martinez wins the award this week. He relieved the rehabbing Blake Hawksworth on Friday and pitched fairly well: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 4 K. Obviously, the walks are the only blemish. Martinez, who started with Great Lakes this season, has thrown surprisingly well for the Quakes this season. He could end up being one of their top pitchers going forward.

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Great Lakes Loons (1-2)

Runs Scored: 11
Runs Allowed: 15

Player Of The Week

Scott Schebler – OF

Schebler takes home his third award in the last four weeks (second straight) by going 4-for-10 with a double, two RBI, two runs scored, and a stolen base. On the season, Schebler is hitting .279/.308/.444 in a pitcher’s league.

Pitcher Of The Week

Ralston Cash – RHP

Cash had the best outing of his season on Saturday for the Loons: 6 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. It’s nice to see him getting work in and averaging five innings per start. Not bad for a guy who hadn’t pitched since 2010.

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Ogden Raptors (6-1)

Runs Scored: 66
Runs Allowed: 46

Player Of The Week

Jesus Valdez – OF/1B

Like the team, Valdez absolutely destroyed Pioneer League pitching this week: 14-for-25 (.560), a double, two triples, seven RBI, 12 runs scored, and three walks. Valdez, 20, is a big kid (6’3″, 180) and is handling Pioneer pitching better than he handled Arizona League pitching last year.

Pitcher Of The Week

Carlos Frias – RHP

It’s going to be difficult finding a Pitcher Of The Week in the Pioneer League, but I’ll make it happen. Frias, who pitched 5 2/3 unsuccessful innings with the Quakes earlier this season, had a decent outing in his first start for the Raptors: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K. He was throwing in the mid-90s with his fastball, so that’s encouraging. However, he is 22 years old, so he should dominate this level.

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Arizona League Dodgers (4-0)

Runs Scored: 36
Runs Allowed: 16

Player Of The Week

Paul Hoenecke – OF/1B

Hoenecke, the Dodgers 24th round pick just a few weeks ago, had himself quite the debut week: 9-for-18 (.500), one home run, six RBI, two doubles, one triple, and four runs scored. Hoenecke is almost 22 years old and could easily be promoted to Ogden if he proves he can handle Arizona League pitching. Drafted as a first baseman, he played one game at first and three in the outfield this week.

Pitcher Of The Week

Jonathan Martinez – RHP

Martinez, who turns 18 on Wednesday, threw the best game for the AZL Dodgers this week: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K. He pitched in the Dominican Summer League last year and handled himself pretty well. He might be a pitcher to keep an eye on in Arizona.

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Dominican Summer League Dodgers (5-1)

Runs Scored: 55
Runs Allowed: 34

Player Of The Week

Josmar Cordero – 1B/C

Cordero wins this award for the second consecutive week by going 13-for-28 (.464) with two home runs, nine RBI, three doubles, and 10 runs cored. Cordero has a ridiculous .469/.506/.716 line and needs to be moved up as he has absolutely nothing left to prove in the Dominican Summer League. Gerson Nunez gave Cordero a run for his money this week (.519/.552/.630), but fell just short.

Pitcher Of The Week

Jhouse Bermudez – LHP

I promise I’m not being lazy. Bermudez, like Cordero, wins this honor for the second straight week by posting the following line: 11 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 7 BB, 10 K. He’s won all four games he’s started for the DSL Dodgers and owns a 0.86 ERA. He’s walked 11 batters in 21 innings, and that’s the only blemish on his record thus far.

Pitching was the story this week with the Dodgers minor-league system, despite giving up more runs than scored at all but one level. Some strong performances by Chris Reed, Garrett Gould, and Ethan Martin weren’t enough to make the cut.

The Isotopes checked in with the best record at 3-3, while the Lookouts scored the most runs this week with 40.

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Albuquerque Isotopes (3-3)

Runs Scored: 22
Runs Allowed: 26

Player Of The Week

Tim Federowicz – C

It was a quiet week offensively for Albuquerque, but everyone’s favorite backup catcher topped this week’s offensive performer list. Federowicz went 7-for-19 (.368) with two doubles, three RBI, and three runs scored. Federowicz has a nice triple slash through 21 games with the Isotopes: .299/.360/.468.

Pitcher Of The Week

Will Savage – RHP

Savage started two games this week and posted quality starts in both, leading to a solid week — and not just by Pacific Coast League standards: 1-0 W-L, 12 IP, 8 H, 4 R (earned), 2 BB, 5 K. He isn’t much of a prospect at this point as a 27-year-old, but he has thrown well with the ‘Topes so far. The two starts were the first for him this season.

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Chattanooga Lookouts (3-4)

Runs Scored: 40
Runs Allowed: 39

Player Of The Week

Rafael Ynoa – 2B

Ynoa led the Lookouts offense this week, going 8-for-24 (.333) with a double, two RBI, two runs scored, a walk, and two stolen bases. The 24-year-old came into the week riding a 4-for-5 day on April 22nd, so he was definitely on a hot streak. His line stands at .299/.347/.373 for the season.

Pitcher Of The Week

Matt Magill – RHP

Magill made two starts for the Lookouts this week and won them both. His line for the week: 14 IP, 11 H, 2 R (earned), 5 BB, 13 K. Magill’s stuff has always been a question because of his fringe-average fastball, but his off-speed stuff is keeping Southern League hitters off-balance. His 10.73 K/9 is best on the team and trails only James Paxton (Seattle) and Trevor Bauer (Arizona) among starting pitchers with 20 or more innings pitched.

He was also named Southern League Pitcher Of The Week, so I think I’m spot-on with this choice.

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Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (2-5)

Runs Scored: 21
Runs Allowed: 32

Player Of The Week

C.J. Retherford – 3B

Before you get excited, Retherford had a great week as a 26-year-old in High-A. Still, he went 8-for-22 (.364) with three doubles, two RBI, four runs scored, and three walks.

It was a rough week offensively, as the team averaged just three runs per game. With Leon Landry and Joc Pederson out, and guys like Jonathan Garcia and Austin Gallagher struggling (the former more than the latter), it’s going to be a long season for the Quakes at this rate.

Pitcher Of The Week

Andres Santiago – RHP

Santiago had himself a great game on Sunday, which, when coupled with his “meh” start from Tuesday, gives him the slight edge on Garrett Gould. Gould, while dominant in relief of an ineffective Ronald Belisario on Saturday (6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 12K), had a poor start on April 23rd (3 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 7 K), letting Santiago pass him.

Santiago, 22, went 6 2/3 innings on Sunday, allowed two hits and struck out 11. His line for the week is as follows: 1-1 W-L, 11 2/3 IP, 13 H, 5 R (earned), 1 BB, 18 K. He now owns a sparkling 2.22 ERA in 24 1/3 innings.

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Great Lakes Loons (3-4)

Runs Scored: 27
Runs Allowed: 37

Player Of The Week

Devin Shines – OF

Shines, the 5’9″ outfielder from Oklahoma State University, went 6-for-20 (.300) this week with a home run, four RBI, and a run scored. As you could probably already tell, it was a light week offensively throughout the Dodgers system, and Low-A was no exception. After today’s game, Shines’ triple slash is a respectable .277/.338/.462. In a pitcher’s league, that’s not too bad, but he is doing it as a 22-soon-to-be-23-year-old, so take it with a grain of salt.

Pitcher Of The Week

Jose Dominguez – RHP

This was a tough one between Dominguez and Arismendy Ozoria, who had a solid week himself. But Dominguez threw four scoreless innings, allowed no hits, two walks, and struck out four. He’s a favorite of Jared Massey at LA Dugout, who thinks he’s being stretched out to possibly go into the Loons’ rotation.

After today’s game (4 IP, 1 H, 6 K), Dominguez, 21, has a 1.83 ERA, a 10.5 K/9, a 1.92 ground ball to fly ball ratio, and a .130 opponents batting average on the season.